What the Groundhog Knows

Groundhog, marmota monax, woodchuck, rodent...what is he thinking?

Yesterday was Groundhog's Day.  Every hog has its day, I suppose.  But I have been wondering about all the hoopla surrounding this subterranean creature seeing his shadow (or not) every February 2nd and why we should care.  Well, bottom line, we probably shouldn't care all that much.  The track record of Punxsutawney Phil is rather unimpressive if you ask me.  And the fact that the first day of spring comes six weeks after February 2nd, doesn't make Phil such a miraculous sooth-sayer.  But for more information on Phil, click here.

What occurs to me upon contemplating the lore and myth surrounding this marmota monax (scientific name) is our fascination with  trying to predict the future.  Yep, I think that's about explains it all.  We seem to want to know what's coming down the pike.  Of course, if you are in our more frozen sections of the country, you are hoping for early relief from shoveling snow and dressing like denizens of the North Pole.  Bottom line, we all think we would like to be able to predict tomorrow and thereby somehow control it.

Well you can't!!  No way no how.  BUT remember, what you do and how you live today lays the groundwork for your personal future and how your life develops and eventually turns out.  We are, after-all, writing our own life-stories, day by day.

So there you have it.  My two cents on what the groundhog knows...and what he knows ain't much.  But he sure does know how to be the center of attention even if it is for just an annual 15 minutes of fame.  Sometimes that's all you get.  Oh, ya, and just to be clear, this predicting end of winter/beginning of spring thing...who's idea was that?  Probably not the wily woodchuck, our little friend, the groundhog.  

---